Kikinee Salmon Festival wraps up in Kelowna

Kelowna regional parks event coordinator James Chester said the 2019 Kikinee Salmon Festival was a success.

Despite the rainy weather on Sunday, Chester said hundreds of people turned up to the event at Mission Park in Kelowna to celebrate the return of spawning salmon in the Okanagan.

“There were a lot of fish so attendees were in good numbers. We had 800 to 900 people to come out for the festivities. It was a little lower than previous years due to the rainier weather,” said Chester.

The annual event plays a critical part in raising awareness for animal habitat and restoration, Chester emphasizes.

“The importance of the event is to highlight that humans share our environment with numerous other species.”

“We want to minimize our own impact so other species have an opportunity to thrive in their surrounding environments and throughout B.C.”

New performers this year at the event included KASP, a hip-hop artist from Kamloops aiming to empower Indigenous youth through storytelling.

Other highlights from the event included an inflatable salmon story tent set up for attendees and an appearance from Kiki the Echo Elf — a performer who provides ecological awareness activities for children throughout the Okanagan.